Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-02-23
DRIED D~AKOrAiAhs.

" ~ EE -
"A ConsIgnment OF Witherca htlns
from q Cave In the Bad Lands.
81. Paul Globe, 21st: Two days ago
Col j. q. Wood, OF west st. Paul, re-
ceived a consignment OF freight from
Rapid City, Dakota, It consisted OF
five boxes, each about three feet square,
Each box contained the remains of On
individual who at some unknown period
was at home in y cave in the bad lands
of Dakota. They we're all perfect in
form and in . remarkable state of pre-
.servatioD, beng neither petrified nor
ossified. but simply withered. That is
the most appropriate way OF briefly
stating their condition.
The finding of this withered family
was the result OF an accident. Among
the large cattle ranches near Buffalo
Gap was n owned by Charles Clark.
MIR. CLARK has in his employ . cowboy
named William Allen. Allen had some
spare timo and he conceived
the idea of sinking Q shaft in the bad
lands, He thought that with mines
on all sides it was possible that he
would strike riches. He went ont on
q prospecting tour over the barren and
inhospitable regiol. After q brief
survey he selected q spot on which to
begin the work OF climbing to fortune
by the pick and shovel route. he worked
along ct spare intervals for ONE time.
A rude windiass wa erected, by means
OF which, with his lariat and 8 bucket, he
managed to raise the dirt. While del
wing away one afternoon he noticed the
ground beneath him giving way. He
seized the windlass rope just In time to
prevent his exit to q then unknown
and UNEMPLOYED cavity. Pulling him
self to the surface he began to devise
means OF exploring the mystery. Night
was coming on, 80 he decided to post
pone his trip to the place
where he expected to find gold
In abundance, and hundred
other things which would net him
morning Allen strapped his gun to his
shoulder, and fastening one side OF his
lariat to the windlass began his descent.
anything, not even the bottom. He
still hung in space. He could 60 no
settlement to the point OF Aliens adj
vCAhuko 40 q pLAkAk tOWh OA1AoA SkOOnS
fifteen miles from Deadwood. Hither
halt q coil and returned,to his anticipat-
candles, matches, ETC., and with these
he reached bottom, about ninety.hye
cavern, so far as the dim rays OF his
j onnSto ~aruoskto3 hsVa - nc1er-rn Wiki.
exploring the immense q he came to
: wall Of earth, in the side Of which was
an opening. Entering there he
neither gold, nor silver,
monster nor devil, hut crouched down
ON either side were what mad once been
human beings. There were five in ell, a
man, woman and three children. In
eearchIng around nothing was found to
show to what race they belonged, how
long they had remained in the cave, or
anything else. From the TACT that ON
different pests Of the cave there we're
marks OF finger nails, 1t Wal presumed
that the family at some remote day had
been shut in by Q landslide and perish,
ed of suffccation. After deli5eration
Allen decided to- go to Scoop, q town
thirty miles from Rapid City. and &c,
an old friend to return and assist hin
to remove the mummies. He related
his adventure TO Charles Bruce, former
~ OF Oxford, N. T., and now living o
Sundance, Dak., and together they re-
turned to the ave.
Another search revealed nothing bu
the Eve bodies. These we're raised t,
the surface and loaded on @ wagon. The
return trip wal not begun until the mex
morning, and then the two mel wer,
, astonished to notice chat during tn
. night the hair on the withered fv
, which the night before had been intac
! had fallen off. Otherwise, exposure t
the air had wrought no change. Til,
bodies were taken to Rapid City an.
kept concealed in o barn for some time
Allen and Bruce thought az dim
museum ~curiosIties they would be
paying property. and for this purpos
conferred with Joe Bender, Of Bnffal
Gap. an old Snowman ard q brother Z
Lex Bender, now with Joe Shelly
!. troupe OF cowboys. Bender recommend
ed them to the gentleman in this cit
and that accounts for them being here
The present intention is to presen
the family to the Smithsonia
institution at Washington. It was nea
the spot where these were found that q
exploring party from Deadwood, q yea
ago, discovered the immense lower ia,
2 2 OF q mastodonio animal which is now o.
! exhibition at the above place. This
Aliens history OF the discovery as writ
9 ten to the nov possassor OF the withere
Q family.
9 To describe the condition OF the indl
0 viduals is no easy task. As before statet
Q they are neither wood, stone nor skel.
Ton, The mans weight is only ffty-si
Anunda. ThA Walzhf nj kha nkhars a.